This time we will analyze the last one of the ‘Five points of modern architecture‘ by Le Corbusier. Let’s see how to model the roof garden and some elements identifying it with a BIM software.

Villa Savoye roof garden view

The roof garden of Villa Savoye

The roof garden is a flat roof with terrace with typical garden flowerbeds, different from the traditional sloped roof.

In Villa Savoye all the spaces located on the first floor are organized around the roof garden and a ramp (promenade) that leads to the upper floor.

The so structured roof garden ensures more cooling during summer time and a good insulation during winter time to the spaces on the ground floor.

Thanks to the ramp it is possible to access to the second level of the terrace. This is made up of a bigger roof garden as compared to the one below located and of a solarium protected by a wind guard wall having the ground floor’s same curved shape.

It is possible to access to the terrace from the spiral staircase starting from the basement, as well as from the external ramp.

Roof garden floor plan

The walls delimiting the ramp are opened with trapezoidal glass windows tracing its outline and lighting up the internal environments.

Walls alongside the ramp

Let’s see how to give shape to these elements with few simple passages using the architectural design BIM software Edificius.

Designing Villa Savoye roof garden

Using a MagneticGrid we position the columns delimiting the wind guard wall and with the envolpe and arc envelope objects we create the walls structure.

We can model the superior frame with the extrusion element (having previously decided its dimensions) and with the “Change to arc” function we can built the arched part of the frame.

With the ornamental wall object we build the solarium and the lower floor’s flower beds and, accessing to the object library, we insert the vegetation.

Thanks to the Real Time Rendering, available in each stage of the planning, we can verify how pleasant it looks.

Reproducing an ‘architectural promenade’

We can easily connect the first floor garden with the terrace by positioning the ramp object.

We proceed creating windows located on the walls below the ramp.

We then select a rectangular element from the project catalogue (in the window section) and we edit the outline giving a particular design to the fixture.

Once decided the shape, we can size and assign properties to all the elements characterizing it.

After the sizing is finished we position it with precision in the 3D model.

In the end, with the aid of the Real Time Rendering we can enjoy these remarkable open spaces.

In a few steps we have seen how the modern approach of BIM technology has facilitated and accelerated the design of Villa Savoye.

With the BIM software Edificius and with graphic effects of the modelling we can also reproduce realistic render photos of the famous roof garden of Villa Savoye.